Women of the 21st Century: Women staff strength in BPOs up 60%

THE number of women working in the IT-BPO sector grew 60% in the past two years to 6.7 lakh in 2008, as per a survey on gender inclusivity conducted by HR consulting firm Mercer and IT association Nasscom.

    The survey that covered over 45 leading technology companies in the country also revealed that HR practices, such as transportation policy of a company, besides flexible working hours and leave policy, play a major role in attracting women in an organisation. Other practices that women workers appreciate are anti-harassment policy, healthcare and awareness programmes, women's lounge or recreational activities. "The Indian ITBPO industry has set high standard in gender inclusivity. Women are a key and vital part of our workforce, and their participation in the workforce is seen as a critical enabling factor for continued growth of the industry," said Nasscom VP Sangeeta Gupta.
    The report also put forth some recommendations for ensuring gender inclusivity at the workplace. It has suggested upgrading the professional skills of women, setting up a mentorship programme for women in an organisation, undertaking an internal study to identify where career paths for women reach a block, providing incentives in the form of tax benefits for organisations, which fulfil certain criteria in empowerment of women.
    The survey said India has the largest number of working women in any single country in the world, which can be attributed to the growth of the IT-BPO space. "Of the 400-million worforce in India, about 30-35% are female, and only one-fifth of these women work in the urban areas," it said.